Hans Borrebach

(5 May 1903 - 15 February 1991, The Netherlands)

Hans Borrebach was born in The Hague, The Netherlands in 1903. He studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts, and went on to practise many artistic disciplines, such as illustration, cartooning, comics, photography and writing. He worked for numerous magazines, including the Lustige Blätter from Germany (from which he was expelled in the 1930s due to Hitler's decree there should be no foreign staff members), Libelle, Haagsche Post and several automoblie magazines. For a supplement of Utrechts Nieuwsblad and in the KRO Kinderkrant, he drew the comic story 'Barbertje's Reis in Spiegelland'.

In 1946, Hans Borrebach created his first newspaper comic, 'De Avonturen van Swippie de Zeeman', which was published in Veritas. Two years later, he produced the comics series 'Frank Moore', that was inspired by Alex Raymond's 'Flash Gordon' and remarkable for its outstanding graphic work and erotic undertone. Only two issues appeared, before it was discontinued due to the anti-comics campaign of the time.

Borrebach went on being a productive, versatile artist, well-known for his illustrations of the famous 'Joop ter Heul' book series, written by Cissy van Marxveldt, as well as for his pornographic writings, reflecting his own free lifestyle. At the end of the 1970s, while at an advanced age, he created the erotic comic 'Het Meisjesinternaat', which was published at Sombrero. Borrebach had his own photo studio at the Scheveningseweg in The Hague. He died in 1991.